Southwest Broward Schools

To Stay Crowded Another Year

DAVIE — For the second time in two years, Stephanie Laskin, 10, and her brother, Jonathan, 8, of Weston, will be attending a new school this fall.

Julianne Roye, 7, may have to deal with shorter lunches and less attention from her teachers at Silver Ridge Elementary School for at least another year.

The students are among about 4,000 in southwest Broward County who will get no relief next school year from crowded schools. About 600 of the students will be bused to a school that consists of 38 portable classrooms - the new building won't open until at least fall of 1995.

"We are still not facing the growth issue, or the overcrowding," said Jean Roye, Julianne's mother. "I'm going to have no relief for my children's school."

The Broward School Board was trying to ease overcrowding on Thursday when it made two decisions that would affect Indian Trace, Silver Ridge and Davie elementary schools next school year.

The board opted to build a new school to relieve crowding at Davie and Silver Ridge schools, rather than send some of those students to Nova-Eisenhower Elementary at the Nova complex in Davie. The rejected plan, which would have involved sending Nova-Eisenhower students to a new school in Fort Lauderdale, was rejected after parents at Nova campaigned against the proposed shift.

Also, the board approved a boundary change for students who attend Indian Trace. This will force 616 students who live in Weston and parts of Bonaventure to be bused to a portable school complex until a new school is built.

Indian Trace, however, still will be crowded. School officials predict 1,135 students will attend the school, which was built for 776.

Both decisions drew criticism from parents who fear crowding and school changes will hurt their children.

Jonathan and Stephanie Laskin switched schools 18 months ago when their family moved to Weston from Miami.

"I'm upset because my kids just established friends at Indian Trace," said JoAnn Laskin, the children's mother.

Stephanie and Jonathan will ride a school bus for five miles to the portable complex at 2700 New River Circle, near Interstates 75 and 595.

The new elementary school, to be northwest of Indian Trace, will open sometime in the fall of 1995, said Art Wittman, a school system demographer.

Jonathan, a third-grader, said he will try to keep his friends from Indian Trace. "I can always call them," he said. "Maybe I can get new best friends."

Herbert Dell, another Weston parent, said he is concerned that his daughter, Lauren, won't be in a regular school atmosphere in the portables. "I don't think the portables would have the normal amenities such as security and [plumbing)," Dell said.

School officials have said they try to make the portables as much like regular classrooms as possible.

The Roye children said crowding at the school has meant less individual attention from teachers and shortened lunch periods.

"There's also a longer wait to go to the bathroom," Julianne Roye said. "You have to wait for everything."

Said Jean Roye: "By the time they build a new elementary school, my children are not going to get any benefit from it."